Don't Ever Let It End
by StygianOmadaFan
Summary: Oliver and Felicity know each other since they were kids. And now, they're afraid to face in what has become their long-dated friendship. [Based on Nickelback song]


_Hi, my lovelies!_

 _Here I bring to you the first of the several fics I've been working during July._

 _It's based on one of my fave songs of one of my fave bands. I love this song so much, and turned out an inspiration for me to write this au. My intention was to make it shorter, but you can do much when our muse in on fire... only go with it._

 _I really hope you enjoy this. Happy reading!_

* * *

 _ **Don't Ever Let It End**_

Sitting on the steps on his parent's house front porch, Oliver's mind flew back to the summer when he turned eight years-old. He pictured himself running and laughing, while he was playing with his friend Tommy, who lived across the street.

It was an August hot afternoon, in 1998, when the new neighbors next door had moved in.

He and Tommy were standing at the far side of the backyard when they heard a vehicle slowing down and parking on the street. With curiosity biting both of them, they came closer to the fence to watch discretely what was happening on the other side.

As they did, they realized that it was a moving company truck, and right behind it, there was a blue Honda Accord, with a man at the wheel and his wife beside him. Tommy wished that the couple arriving had a son. That way, it'll be another boy to play with. Oliver wasn't so concerned about it. His mom was having another baby, and he'd have a playmate soon.

The groan of disappointment Tommy made, when a girl got out of the car, amused Oliver. "I'm outta here," his friend said, as he kicked small pebbles on the ground walking back to his house.

"But, Tommy..."

"Forget it, Ollie. I gotta go anyway. My mom is taking me to the movies later."

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah... See you."

Alone, and still curious about the new people, Oliver left the boundaries of his yard and deliberately watched the movers coming and going, unloading the truck. Suddenly his dad, Robert, startled him when he put a hand on his shoulder.

"What are you doing here, son?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. "Just watching."

"Did you give the welcome to our new neighbors yet?" Oliver shook his head. "Come on. Let's meet them."

The neighbors, Mr. And Mrs. Smoak, were like any other adults to him. Tall, bossy, and old.

Mrs. Smoak was blonde and she had a big, kind smile. Mr. Smoak was dark-haired, more serious looking, and really tall. He didn't pay much attention to them, until they introduced their daughter. The 7 years-old girl -Felicity was her pretty name- had her dark hair tethered up in two pigtails. She was wearing a flowery patterned summer dress and sneakers.

Shy, she was hiding behind her dad's leg. "Go on, sweetie," Mrs. Smoak urged her. "Say hi to your new friend."

She eyed Oliver, assessing if he really was friendly or not. Oliver didn't know why, but she had something he liked. For some reason, he wanted to be her friend. He stepped forward and smiled at her. "Hi, I'm Oliver Queen."

Pushing her glasses up her nose, she stepped away from her dad and returned him the smile. "Hey, I'm Felicity. Felicity Smoak. I'm your new neighbor... but you already knew that. You don't have to be my friend, if you don't want... just because my mom said. But it's ok if you do, we could do all kinds of fun stuff. "

Her babbling was kind of cute. He smiled wider, and offered, "Want to come to play at my house?"

By the end of that summer, they were best friends. Even Tommy had befriended her, once he got over the disappointment of her being a girl. The three of them became inseparable.

At school, Oliver and Tommy defended her of anyone who dared to bully her because she wore glasses, or because she liked computers better than anything else. In exchange, Felicity used to help them with homework and shared with them the adventure books she knew they would like. In summer time, Tommy and Oliver would draw her out to explore the world outside, while in winter, Felicity would create the craziest and most unique computers games just for them, while they were housebound because of some snowstorm.

They told each other everything. There were not secrets between them.

For the longest time it was that way.

But one day, adulthood hit and Oliver realized something. The relationship he had with Tommy had stayed the same all those years. Instead, the one with Felicity had changed into something more. That girl, who once was a shy girl with pigtails, and now was a full grown, awesome woman, had become the most important person in his life. She was everything to him.

And it was then that, for the first time in his life, he had a secret he hadn't told her.

"A penny for your thoughts."

The voice of his sister, Thea, took him out of the past. Sitting next to him, she cocked her head and asked. "Why so thoughtful, big bro?"

"Nothing," he forced himself to say, in the most indifferent tone possible. Avoiding her gaze, he glanced over the house that belonged to the Smoaks for years.

Thea was no fool, however. She knew his brother was hiding something, and she had a pretty good idea what. She bumped her shoulder lightly into his. "C'mon, Ollie, tell me. You're thinking about her, aren't you? About Felicity."

He turned to look at her. "What? No, I'm not thinking about her."

"Oh, puh-lease! The sappy expression you have right now on your face is there only when she's around, or you're thinking about her."

"I'm not..."

"Don't deny it. I have eyes, I've seen it more than once. We both know you like her."

"Of course I like her, she's my best friend."

"You know what I mean! You _luuuuuuuv_ her," Oliver opened his mouth to refute it, but Thea cut him off. "Have you told her how you feel?"

No, not with words.

They had come to a silent agreement that they both pretend that there was nothing more than an amazing friendship between them. They talked, they hanged out together, they would go to Felicity's favorite hard-rock band's concert, or to Oliver's favorite hockey team's games together... even they were each other's default date for all the weddings they were invited. Oliver was capable of giving his life for her, and he was sure she would do the same for him.

And even she had told him once she love him, but she was drunk when she did. And Oliver was almost certain that she didn't remember doing so.

"What are you waiting for?!" Thea demanded, when he said nothing.

Honestly, he didn't know. He was getting tired of the arrangement. He wanted more, but was terrified of what could happen if things didn't work out... losing their friendship would be devastating.

"You'll never know until you give it a shot," apparently he had spoken out loud.

Hmm... That trait should have rubbed off him from Felicity. She was the one who babbled and spoke her thoughts aloud without any vocal filter or whatsoever. A quality of hers that he found quite endearing.

"What do you prefer?" his sister continued. "To give a shot to a relationship with the woman you love or to regret you never try it when you're older and alone?"

"When did you get so wise?" she was barely seventeen.

Thea chuckled "I got _mad_ relationship skills, bro. Talk to Felicity now, go to see her."

"What about lunch? Mom is going to be mad at me if I disappear."

"Go. I'll cover you."

"You sure?"

"Go!"

"Fine, I'm going. I'm going!"

Felicity was at Tommy's place, like always on Sundays. Every week the two of them, along with their mutual best friend, Oliver, when he wasn't visiting his parents, got together to eat Italian and catch up on what had happened to them during the week. The three of them were tight. It had been that way since they met when she had moved into the street the boys lived. The friendship only got stronger through the years. There was nothing that she wouldn't do for them.

She was sitting on the couch, with a glass of red wine in one hand and an old photo album in her lap. She laughed softly at one photo in particular of their teen years. She appeared talking to Tommy and Oliver was sneaking up on her. She remembered vividly how right after the photo had been shot, she saw herself cover in an awful, smelly goo. Three days later, she still got dry whatever awful substance the boys had thrown at her in her hair. She had been so mad at him. To both of them, really.

But later that same day, she had gotten her revenge.

After that, neither Tommy nor Oliver had dared to make her a prank... ever again. They learned their lesson.

"What's so funny?"

She lifted her eyes and watched Tommy coming back, bringing with him the bottle of wine and more slices of oregano bread. "Remember this?" she asked, flipping the album around for him to see. Then, she burst laughing at the expression Tommy made.

Yep, he remembered.

"That day I stop liking pranks," Tommy commented as he sat on the couch next to her.

"I bet you did," she giggled. She was trying to sober up, but failing at it.

"Yeah, still got the emotional scar of your payback. And honestly, I still don't know why did you do that to _me_? I wasn't the one who threw the goo on you."

"But you knew what Oliver was going to do."

"I didn't know. I swear."

If Felicity didn't know Tommy so well, she'd have believed his innocent face. His charm was almost irresistible for her. "Yes, you did."

"Did not!" he childishly insisted.

Felicity's counterargument was cut off by the ring of her phone. "Look who it is? The culprit," she sang, pressing the screen of her cell and answering,. "Hi, Oliver. We were just talking about you. How's the lunch with your folks?"

"Good, good. Err... Felicity, you..."

Felicity frowned lightly listening Oliver hesitating. It wasn't like him to do that. "Yes?"

"Would you mind if I... I pick you up later, and maybe go and eat ice cream or something? I want to talk to you."

"That sounds good," she spoke slowly. Oliver's hesitation and formality in asking her something they had done a million times before made her nervous. "Everything okay, sweetie?"

"Yes," his voice was a tad on the edge, so he cleared his throat. "Yes, everything is fine. See you later."

"Okay, bye."

Even when he assured her that everything was okay, her instinct was telling her something different.

"Is Ollie coming?"

"Hmm? Err... no. He's picking me up later."

After that, Felicity tried to stay focused on the conversation with Tommy, but her thoughts wandered back to the call. Oliver wanted to talk to her... about what?

Felicity only had to wait a few hours to find out what Oliver wanted to talk to her about.

They were sitting on his silver Porsche's hood. He took her to one of her favorite spots in the entire city. Not many people knew about the place up the hills. It was a hidden lookout where you could you see the entire in all its extension. Excellent place to watch the sunset, too.

Oliver was playing with his chocolate ice cream more than eating it. Felicity watched him silently, while she devoured her pint of mint chip... her anxiety steadily growing. That wasn't the Oliver she knew. He was always confident, brave. He always knew what to do and say.

What could it be so important that he was struggling to find the words to speak?

A thought came to her mind. She wanted to dismiss it. She didn't want to get her hope high. It couldn't be.

Oliver was her friend, yes, but it had been a while since she had recognized that he might be much more than that. She couldn't ask for better friends like Tommy and Oliver, but there was a difference between them. With Tommy, she had the time of her life. He was funny, somewhat mischievous, charming like very few people were. He was sweet and considerate. She loved him like the brother she never had. But he never provoked the thrill in her that Oliver did.

With a single smile, Oliver could make her feel butterflies in her stomach. She felt chills in all her body every time he touched her cheeks, or took her hand in his. It was only with Oliver that she could spend hours imagining how could be getting a kiss on the lips from him. Every time he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him it felt right. It was like she belonged there.

She was in love with him, but she never had dared to say anything to him, afraid to ruin the relationship they had. She didn't want to make things awkward between them.

That had been true, until her last birthday. She got drunk, and in an intoxicated and reckless impulse, she walked to where he was standing. Grabbing the flap of his jacket, she pulled him down to her, then whispered 'I love you, always have, and always will' in her ear. She ended her confession with a kiss in the corner of his lips.

Next day, more embarrassed than she'd ever been, she feigned total amnesia of the confession. She pretended that it had never happened. She only hoped that he believed it had been drunk talk on her part.

But then, watching him fidgeting, she wondered if he was ready to tell her how he felt about her. She wasn't stupid. She had seen... she had _felt_ how he reacted to her. The way that his blue eyes would twinkle when she smiled at him. The way that his breath would get caught if she touch him in a way he didn't expect. And it was hard to miss the darkening of his eyes and the change of his mood if she mentioned she was dating someone new.

Honestly, she didn't like either when dated some leggy shrew. Most women were attracted to him because his good looks. Not that he wasn't a gorgeous man, because he _really_ was. But there was so much more than his exquisite body. His integrity, and bravery were extraordinary, as well as his disposition to help others and stand for those who couldn't do it for themselves.

He was trustworthy, reliable, and caring. He denied being sweet and tender, but she knew how big a lie that was.

He was beautiful inside and out.

And he loved her. As much as she loved him.

As she watched the last sun rays of the day falling on him, magnifying the uncertainty written in his face, something made a click in her head. The fear of losing what she had with him, eventually would do exactly that. Declaring her feelings for him didn't mean that they needed to change the way they were around each other.

Being in love didn't mean they couldn't be the same best friends, they've always been.

Right?

Tommy answered his phone on the second ring, "Hello?"

"Felicity is there?" was the greeting he got.

"Thea? Hey, sweetie. No, Felicity is not here."

"And Oliver, is he there?"

"He's not here, either. Do you need something?"

"Are they together?"

"I don't know. I guess. Oliver picked up Felicity a while ago," Tommy was tired of the interrogation. "Thea, want to tell me why are you so interested in the whereabouts of your brother and Felicity?"

"I think they finally did it!" Thea said excitedly.

"Did it? Wha-? What do you mean?"

"I think I convinced my stubborn brother to finally declare his love to Felicity."

"Oh... About time!" Tommy breathed in relief. "I was getting tired of the longing stare between them."

"I know , right! Without my intervention, those two would have spent the rest of their life waiting for the other to say something. Do you think Oliver would let me drive his Porsche as a thank you?"

Tommy burst in uproarious laughter. "Oh, no. No, no, no. My dear Thea, don't even think about it. That'd never happened."

"But-"

"No buts, honey. Just forget about it, and go to sleep. You have school tomorrow."

"Ugh! You're not fun, Tommy. You sound like my mother."

"Good night, Thea," he said before hanging up. He laughed again at the ridiculous dream the girl had. It would never happen. The silver Porsche was Oliver's baby, and no one got it to drive it, except him.

Tommy's high spirit continued thinking in his two best friends. He wished for Thea to be right. He couldn't think in two people more perfect for each other than Oliver and Felicity. He had spent too many years watching them to orb around each other, too afraid to make that one last step.

Hopefully, the morning would bring good news.

Oliver's head was a mess. He couldn't find the words to tell Felicity. He had kept his feelings as a secret for so long that he didn't know where to begin. It wasn't easy to express verbally all he felt for her.

He wasn't a coward, though. He was there with a mission and he wouldn't back down now. He took a big breath, gathering all the courage he could. Then, he put the melted ice cream aside and turned to her. "Felicity, I..." he was taken aback just a fraction of a second. Oliver didn't expect to find Felicity so close to him.

She put a finger on his lips to quiet him down. "Let me talk first. I have something to tell you, too."

With a tiny nod, he conceded her request.

"We've been best friends for a very long time," she began.

"We have."

"Then, don't worry. There's nothing that can destroy that. It will never end. No... not if we don't let it," she ran her thumb down the line of his perfectly sculpted jaw and savored the sensation of his whiskers tugging at her skin. She looked at his eyes, when felt the muscle shifting under her hand forming a radiant smile his face. "I'm tired of pretending."

"Pretending... pretending what?" he asked, a light frown forming on his forehead. _Is she talking about what I'm thinking she's talking about?_ He didn't know if he was feeling hopeful or afraid because of it.

"Yes, pretending," she confirmed. " That you and I... That we..." she chuckled nervously. It was easy to feel love for him, but so hard to put it in words. She understood then why it took so much time for Oliver to find the right words.

But she was determined. She was going to do this. For her. For him. For both of them. She laced her fingers with his, and Oliver lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. His eyes focused on her were the window to what he was feeling right at that moment. Pure happiness, elation, adoration, passionate longing, hope... all that obscured by a hint of fear. They were mirroring her own feelings. That gave her courage.

She took a deep breath and spoke, "We've been doing this... a dance for years. Neither of us wanting to say..."she took a deep breath and let out what she knew was true, "We're fooling ourselves, Oliver. You know how I feel about you. I told you... on my birthday party."

"You remember?" his voice full of wonder and astonishment.

Felicity nodded lightly. "Yeah, I remember. But also know that you feel the same way about me," Felicity dragged her last words as her confidence wavered. Then, she added in a whisper, "I hope."

With a happiness that he had never felt before racing through him, Oliver blew the air out of his lungs, incredulous. "You hope?" he tightened the grip of their joined hands, and cupped her cheek with his free hand. He looked at her, grinning adoringly. "Oh, God, Felicity. I love you so much that my heart hurts."

She smiled at his declaration, and put her hand over his chest. A simple gesture to ease his agony. His heart beat wildly inside him, just as fast as hers was thumping. It was like if both were halves of a whole and were trying to escape their chest... to reach each other to fuse into one.

Meanwhile, Oliver continued his declaration, "You have no idea how many times I imagined telling you. I went through every possible scenario there is, to find the best way to let you know," he lowered his eyelids as he caressed the back of her hand. "And the different outcomes," he finally confessed.

The almost imperceptible tremble in his voice was the positive sign of the fear he felt for the worst ends.

"You're afraid what might happen if things don't work out between us and our friendship is ruined forever?" she chimed in.

"It's more than that. I don't want our friendship to be ruined because we're together. I love to be your friend. That means the world to me. I don't want us to become those dull couples that seem two people co-habituating the same place and having sex, but nothing more."

There! He had said his worst fear.

"Aw, sweetie," she kissed his cheek to soothe him. "Our friendship doesn't need to end. I love that I can talk to you about anything, or just hang out and goof around. Just think in the bonus things you could do as my boyfriend... not just my friend."

Oliver grinned widely. "Like what?

"Like not seeing me dating anyone else."

The mention of her dates wiped his smile off his face, and widened hers. He was so jealous of her. Probably, she shouldn't feel so good about it, but she liked that possessive side of him.

"I'd like that," he said.

She beamed, "I thought you might."

"And I get to not seeing you to be stalked by every skirt that you come across," she added, not hiding the irritation that fact caused her.

That returned the grin on his face. Felicity wasn't free from feelings of possession either. He didn't comment on that, though. "That's the only perk of being your boyfriend?" he teased instead.

"Oh, no. There are plenty more. For example, I get to do _this_ whenever I want..." she grabbed the flap of his shirt and pulled him close. Then she covered his lips in a hungry kiss. The kind of kiss she had always wanted to give him.

There was no doubt that he was more than happy to receive such passionate demonstration. Oliver moaned softly with pleasure, while she climbed on his lap, straddling him. He wrapped his arms around her torso, and ran his hands over her back. He erased the virtually nonexistent distance between them and took over the kiss. Felicity wrapped her arms around his neck, her thoughts scattering, as their tongues danced together. This moment was sublime. So much better than she had ever dreamt.

The man was simply too delectable to be real. And she wanted to sample all of him.

She lowered a hand in search of the buttons of his shirt. She blindly undid the first one and traced her fingers over the exposed skin of his chest. Then, a second button was unfastened... and a third.

Oliver didn't want to let Felicity go, he didn't want to stop feeling her touching him with her warm fingers. But if they didn't stop soon, things would go out of control. His head spun at the feel of her so close, so open-hearted to him. Their bodies touching in the right places, only with clothes separating them from a total union. Her sweet scent was making a havoc in his body. Having her in his arms felt amazing, but he wanted more. He wanted to touch her the way she was touching him . He had wanted her for long, and now that a chance to get their relationship out of the friend zone, his body was succumbing fast to an unstoppable lust. And her, grinding against him, wasn't helping.

He had the craving for her tethered by the thinnest chain, and it was about to break free. He was fractions of seconds away from flipping over and pinning Felicity under him over the car hood. Out in the open, when anyone could see them.

A sobering thought.

Delirious from that kiss, he pulled back ever so slightly, then he dropped his forehead against hers and stilled her hands. "Felicity, please," he said reverently.

His plea sounded as he wanted her to continue her wicked ministrations, but it wasn't the place for it.

He brushed his thumb over her swollen lips, his eyes so warm and tender that it made Felicity even more breathless than his kiss. Words failed her. She couldn't remember a single occasion when she had been that speechless.

As a kid, she was quiet, but only until she determined what was the situation she was in. Then nobody could shut her up.

But now... she only could get lost in Oliver's blue eyes, which were shining with happiness, and desire. A desire that heightened her own. She leaned to kiss him again, enjoying her own private feast on his mouth. She poured her whole soul into it, letting her wild emotions run loose and showing him how she felt.

Their kiss became gentle, and now he devoured her in slow bites. Her world spun on its axis and settled into a comfortable roll as he slowed the kiss, nipping at her lips. She ran her hands up his chest and marveled at the fact that he was hers.

All hers and nobody else.

When Oliver pulled back, they were both breathing hard. He whispered, "Okay, Smoak. You sold it. I demand the position as your boyfriend."

She laughed breathlessly, "You demand, huh?"

"Emphatically. I won't take a no for an answer."

"Then Mr. Queen, there's nothing else to say. You're appointed as my man from now on."

After another quick kiss, Oliver climbed off the hood, still holding Felicity in his arms. Then he lowered her and steadied her on her feet. "And as such, I'm taking you out of here. We need to find another place," he informed her, as he pulled her by her hand to the passenger side and opened the car door for her.

"What place? For what?" she asked, getting in the car. She had a pretty good idea, but she wanted to hear him say it.

"Somewhere private... your place, my place, I don't care. This bargain isn't complete yet," Oliver gave her the hottest ogle that someone had ever given her. "I'm going to devour you."

Oliver closed the door after saying such bold, erotic promise, which he had every intention of fulfilling. The problem was to get fast enough to wherever they were going to go. He knew that the ride was going to be hellish. Thank God he had brought his Porsche. He was about to test the engine's power speeding away.

As he hit the street, the last beam of the dying sun marked the road he needed to follow to get home. To happiness, with the woman he loved.

* * *

 _Two things: One, I want to know, Did you like it? What was the best part? Tell me, please. I assure you that every kudos and comment is deeply appreciated. They're nourishment for my soul._

 _And, two, I want to let you know that you can find me on tumblr as **stygian-omada-fan** where you can talk to me about anything (especially Arrow, or if you have a prompt for me), and also on twitter as **Olicity_fics** , where I recommend the fics that I like and tweet anything Olicity/Arrow related. Follow me and I'll follow back._


End file.
